Meet Lana Darin Lana Darin is fleet coordinator/direct support professional aide and has been at the Center of Hope for almost seven years. We asked Lana to share some of her thoughts about the time he has been at the Center. Please describe your role at the Center? Maintain the safety

Center of Hope receives two grants The Center of Hope recently received two grants, one from the Helen Brach Foundation and one from Rockford Cosmopolitan Charities. The Helen Brach Foundation granted the Center of Hope $10,000 to purchase an interactive mobile display system and heavy-duty washer and dryer which are used

Center celebrates Autism Awareness Month In celebration of Autism Awareness Month, the Center of Hope’s participants took part in several activities from decorating classroom doors with autism-themed puzzle banners, to wearing blue and autism- awareness gear. At the Center of Hope, we recognize the needs of people on the autism spectrum

Participants attend the symphony Participants from the Center of Hope attended the Rockford Symphony Orchestra’s performance of The Orchestra Moves on Wednesday, April 19. This concert, presented with the generous support of the Blazer Foundation, featured orchestral favorites along with fun new songs all in the historic Coronado Performing Arts Center.

 Meet Ashley Dickerson Ashley Dickerson is a direct support professional (DSP) and has been at the Center of Hope for seven years. We asked Ashley to share some of her thoughts about the time he has been at the Center. Please describe your role at the Center. When I first started

The Birthday Store is ready for business The Center of Hope is making final preparations for the new Birthday Store. The store, opening next week, will give the participants a chance to pick out a gift in celebration of their birthdays. “We decided to start the Birthday Store because a lot

Visit us at the Farmers Market at Edgebrook This year, the Center of Hope will be joining the Edgebrook Farmers Market, the area’s best seasonal farmers market. The Center will be featuring and selling original artwork by the Center of Hope participants and GourMutts, all-natural gourmet dog biscuits. Stop by and

Meet Chris McClure Chris McClure is a direct support professional (DSP) and has been at the Center of Hope for seven years. We asked Chris to share some of her thoughts about the time he has been at the Center. Please describe your role at the Center. To be a good

The Lava Lounge is now open The new Lava Lounge is now open. The room will house a variety of classes and activities; book club, art, board games, visits from pet therapy dogs, card games, puzzles, chair exercises, foreign and sign language lessons. The staff at the Center can’t wait to

Valentine’s Activities at the Center Valentine’s Day was marked with a week’s worth of activities at the Center for the participants. Events started on Wednesday, February 8 and went through Valentine’s Day. Each day had a theme to dress up from Wacky Wednesday, Favorite Character Day, to Back to the Future